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Wasting water.

LostvalleyguyActive Member

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I happen to live in an area where water is plentiful. Most of the year the reservoirs are at capacity and excess water is spilled out into the rivers that descend from the dams. We pay for water with our property taxes and we are not on water meters so there isn't really a way to determine who is using a lot and who is using a little. We have watering restrictions in place for the summer to ensure our reservoirs are not drawn too low but most of the time this is a precaution rather than a necessity.

I hate when people complain in my city about wasting water. Running the tap to get the water cold or an extra flush of the toilet makes no difference in this area. It costs us nothing more and more often than not, that extra water would have ended up being overflow at the dam end instead of moving through the pipes. The result is still the ocean for the water. In the summer, I think we do need to be a bit frugal with our supply so everyone has enough if supplies run low. I just don't think that running water through the pipes and into the drain is all that much worse than having it flow down a river into the ocean.

What do you think about wasting water? Obviously if you have a meter, your perspective would be different.

daleo717Member

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I live in Vancouver, BC and no shortage of water. But I do try and not waste water. When I see how California is struggling to get water I want to be a good stewart of water in my city. When I brush my teeth I do not let the water run. We also have a shower head that puts out minimal water and also our toilet uses way less water. When I have a bath I only fill it about 1/4 full. I am fine conserving water. I do not find it a hardship.

ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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No one is monitoring my water usage. I just don't like to waste water if I don't have to. I don't find it inconvenient to turn off the water when I brush my teeth. I don't worry about water, but I don't do wasteful things either.

ThejamalActive Member

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I don't like the fact that water is being metered in certain areas. It just seems like an unnecessary limitation for people.

As far as my own water usage, I don't try to be wasteful, but I also don't make myself uncomfortable in order to save water. Certain things like watering the lawn during the hottest part of the day does seem a bit excessive though.

ami560Member

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I guess it does depend on where you live. I have friends in California, Arizona, and other places that can experience severe dry spells. In those places, wasting water is probably one of the worst problems. I know many places that give tax breaks or even straight out cash for switching lawns from grass to more drought resistant plants. If only we could transfer water like we do with electricity in the grid, then we could transport water from areas with high rainfall to areas with not enough, like we do with areas that are drawing more electricity than they can produce.

gracerActive Member

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Lostvalleyguy said:

I happen to live in an area where water is plentiful. Most of the year the reservoirs are at capacity and excess water is spilled out into the rivers that descend from the dams. We pay for water with our property taxes and we are not on water meters so there isn't really a way to determine who is using a lot and who is using a little. We have watering restrictions in place for the summer to ensure our reservoirs are not drawn too low but most of the time this is a precaution rather than a necessity.

I hate when people complain in my city about wasting water. Running the tap to get the water cold or an extra flush of the toilet makes no difference in this area. It costs us nothing more and more often than not, that extra water would have ended up being overflow at the dam end instead of moving through the pipes. The result is still the ocean for the water. In the summer, I think we do need to be a bit frugal with our supply so everyone has enough if supplies run low. I just don't think that running water through the pipes and into the drain is all that much worse than having it flow down a river into the ocean.

What do you think about wasting water? Obviously if you have a meter, your perspective would be different.

Click to expand...

Wow! You're so lucky to have that kind of situation when it comes to your water supply. I actually envy you right now. We rarely experience water shortage in our area but our water usage is metered so we really have to be very frugal when it comes to using water. Reading your post made me realize the importance of water meters to incorporate discipline on people in their water usage. I'm guessing that if water meters would be installed in your area, people would have a different attitude with regards to wasting water.

LushlalaWell-Known Member

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I think before you experience severe spells of drought and are subjected to days long water rations, it can be hard to see the importance of water conservation. Every little effort put in place to conserve water will wind you up no end. I've never been one to waste water anyway, but I'm even more conscious of it now since we're experiencing a severe drought and water rations are common place. We have meters in place, although water is very cheap. Sometimes we even have to supplement our consumption by buying some bottled water from the store. It's not a good place to be and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

thenextGeekActive Member

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Well obviously I hate wasting water simply because water's not free here in my place. They charge us every month depending on how much water we spend. This is the reason why I always try to conserve water whenever I'm doing chores that include the use of water such as washing the car, washing the dishes, cleaning our pets, and etc.

H.C. HeartlandActive Member

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We have a spot in town where the water is has been running freely for months and at first people were using it to get free water but then in an attempt to fix it, someone tried covering it up with dirt but now the area is just flooding. Apparently, 'no one is having to pay for it' so the city company isn't worried about it. But I do not think that is true, I think someone is paying for it and they just don't realize. Even if you have a meter I think it is smart to conserve water whenever we can. When we do dishes we can save the dishwater for our plants and when it rains we can use a rain barrel. Home Depot has them for sale all the time. Then there are DIY versions. Here is a link I found how to make one:

gata montesActive Member

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As I live in an arid drought prone area with a desert like climate - where at the very most we only get approx 400 mm rainfall per year - which is in reality generally only half of that - my view is obviously quite the opposite.

Particularly as - even though water is not particularly expensive here - as its always in short supply and because of that we regularly experience water restrictions, as well as water cuts - sometimes for quite lengthy periods too - water is a precious commodity here.

In fact - although we have no option but to use it wisely - we all do almost without thinking about it - as we value water way too much to waste it.

CorzhensWell-Known Member

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It's a coincidence that there is a leak in the water pipe by the side of the street near our gate. The leak is not much but from my estimate it is about 10 buckets of water overnight. I had reported it to the waterworks company last week but until now there is no action. But on a brighter note, some stray chickens and ducks are enjoying the small pond that was created by the leaking pipe. At least the water is not totally wasted.

Diane LaneWell-Known Member

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I do have a meter, and pay by the amount of water I use. The cost of the water is still less than half of the total bill, which also includes trash removal. However, I still try to consciously conserve when I can. I don't go to extremes, but I do have some bins and buckets on the lower porch. The balcony doesn't hold water, so rain and whatever I dump up here ends up downstairs, and some of it goes into the buckets downstairs. I end up using the water down there to water plants, put out for the stray cats, or sometimes even to wash off the porch.

remnantActive Member

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We live in a paradoxical world. Some places are next to the sea but drought abounds because of lack of infrastructure. When water is abundant, people don't even consider it to be a commodity, its just like air. The fact remains that no place deserves to have the problem of water scarcity bearing in mind the fact that the world is 70% water. The problem is distribution, the same are with food.

LushlalaWell-Known Member

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We're just coming out of our winter, and the water situation greatly improved over the past few months. I've observed that during this period when people have been enjoying a respite from the water rations, they've relaxed back into their nasty habits of wasting water! It's incredibly stupid, because with the summer months, chances are we'll be right back at square one. We're also metered, yet people continue to waste water and don't even bother to pay for it. I just don't the logic, and it really gets my blood boiling. Yet the same people protest the loudest when there are water rations, forgetting that they owe the council hideous amounts of money. Strange!

cluckeyoActive Member

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We live in an area where there is no underground aquifer. And we cannot drill a well. If we have a garden, we have to either collect rain water, or run it out of the pipes. Water is fairly expensive here. We use it as needed but we do not water our lawn in the summer, thus we have promoted the growth a thick bermuda carpet, which is desirable and comes back green every spring. Collecting rain water is one solution as it helps water the garden. Another solution is saving the gray water for use outdoors. Water is a big issue here!

rz3300Active Member

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Well this is certainly one of my pet peeves. Wasting anything really irks me, but water is especially bad just because it makes no sense to me a lot of the time. I used to work with kids and they would always just leave the sinks running and it drove me crazy (they were just kids so I was not made AT them, but still, you get the point). Things like that and then people watering their lawn after it rains just drive me nuts.

explorerx7Active Member

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Not because there may water in abundance, it may mean that the commodity should be used in a way that disregards responsible usage practices. It's good that we maintain prudent water usage because there have been lessons of changing wheather patterns rendering once fertile areas into barren lands, therefore it's wise to get used to good conservation practices just in case.

hades_leaeActive Member

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Even thought I can get as much water as I want, I don't like wasting it. But that doesn't mean I don't use it when I want excess like showers. I'll turn off the water when brushing my teeth, I didn't use to do that, but I'll take showers for 40 minutes periodically because I just love relaxing in the shower, or taking a bath.

Plus my understanding of how much water on this planet makes me not care anymore about water usage. We have an unlimited supply, but we don't tap into ocean water, that's why we pay taxes. I want to see a system built so we can harness the free water and stop complaining about water usage around this planet.

davosActive Member

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Unless you live in the Africa poorest area or in Australia, tap water access is not much a concern, but the responsible use avoid lowering reservoir current capacity. Toilets are pretty much inefficient in regards of water usage, but flushed water is not lost forever and it flows toward treatment again.